Leadership upset for Westinghouse
04 April 2012
Jim Ferland has resigned as president and CEO of Westinghouse to take up the same title at Babcock & Wilcox instead. Ferland had led Westinghouse for only a few days since previous head Aris Candris retired.
The "personal decision" to make the sudden move came as a surprise, Westinghouse told World Nuclear News. The reactor vendor and fuel supplier will be led for an interim period by its chairman, Shigenori Shiga. The selection of a new president and CEO will follow a review of internal and external candidates. Westinghouse noted that current COO Rick Perez would be among them.
Ferland's move is especially surprising in the normally methodical nuclear industry because it comes just three days into his tenure as head of Westinghouse. The previous chief, Aris Candris, left on 31 March and Ferland's succession to the post had been announced in early January.
At Babcock & Wilcox, members of the board said they were "extremely pleased" to welcome Ferland to their ranks, saying his skills "ideally suit him to lead B&W in its next phase of growth and development."
Ferland said, "With a portfolio spanning renewable energy, clean coal, nuclear power and national security capabilities, B&W is a leader with differentiated services that distinguish it from its peers."
Ferland's arrival has triggered the departure of B&W's current president and CEO, Brendan Bethards, who will retire and hand over to Ferland on 19 April.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News